Solar accounts for 1% of global electricity, how long will the next 1% take?

Chile's solar market has developed faster than the European market ever did. Source: SunEdison. Blogger Tom Kenning Solar energy’s vital role in the global energy mix has been secured after recent figures showed it now accounts for 1% of all global electricity demand. This is the equivalent of 33 large, coal-fired power plants of 1GW. The 1% milestone has been a long time coming, but it finally puts to bed the question of whether solar is a mainstream renewable energy source. With the lure of solar power generation spreading worldwide, how long will it be until it reaches the next landmark of 2%? Solar Power Europe’s Global Market Outlook for Solar power 2015-2019, which announced the 1% milestone, found that global solar capacity is now 178GW, which is 100 times more than it was 14 years ago. GTM Research solar analyst Adam James told PV Tech that he expects global instal...